1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to telecommunications, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for using a mobile communication tool to provide air quality analysis based on human reactions and clustering methods.
2. Description of Related Art
Both the prevalence of patients suffering from respiratory diseases, such as pulmonary emphysema, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchitis, and the cost of treating those patients is rising dramatically. For example, about 15 million people in the United States have asthma with more than 100 million days of restricted activity annually. In May 1998, the Department of Health and Human Services in the United States estimated that healthcare costs for asthma was more than $6 billion a year. Further, in January 1997, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases estimated that the loss in productivity by working parents caring for children who miss school due to asthma: was $1 billion a year. In addition, the incidence of asthma has increased dramatically, e.g., in Finland the number of children taking medication for asthma in 1986 was 6,400, but increased to 21,600 by 1996. Therefore, new research in controlling respiratory diseases such as asthma continues to find widespread public and private support.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways. In susceptible individuals this inflammation causes recurrent episodes of coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and difficult breathing. Inflammation makes the airways sensitive to stimuli such as allergens, chemical irritants, tobacco smoke, cold air, or exercise. When exposed to these stimuli, the airways may become swollen, constricted, filled with mucus, and hyper-responsive to stimuli. The resulting airflow limitation is reversible (but not completely so in some patients), either spontaneously or with treatment. When asthma therapy is adequate, inflammation can be reduced over the long term, symptoms can usually be controlled, and most asthma-related problems prevented.
As suggested above, preventing the development of asthma attacks is a major goal of current research. Evidence now indicates that the strongest risk factors for developing asthma are exposure to environmental factors, such as allergens irritants. The identification and control of triggers, i.e., factors that precipitate symptoms and attacks of asthma, are essential for successful asthma management. For example, at least the following factors have been identified as triggers: tobacco smoke (active and passive), air pollution and smoke in cities, cockroach allergens, dust mites, cat and other pet allergens, pollen, mold spores, low atmosphere ozone, low or high air temperature, low or high air humidity and ambient chemicals and gases.
In addition to the separate risk factors, each individual reacts differently to each of these, and to different combinations of these risk factors. When common allergens and irritants that trigger attacks are removed from the patient's environment, asthma symptoms and hospitalizations can be prevented and medications reduced.
Avoiding triggers means changing behavior, which may be very difficult for some patients or families. Each asthma patient must work to find the most appropriate ways to avoid his or her triggers. Some television networks already provide basic information about pollens (birch tree, hay, etc.) and basic information about ozone levels is available in some locations. However, this information is in very general form, and an individual does not have the means to estimate the overall effects from a subjective point of view. Further, objective measurements are important because patients and physicians often do not recognize asthma symptoms or their severity. Thus, lung function measurements are used to assess airflow limitation and help diagnose and monitor the course of asthma. Accordingly, lung function measurements for asthma management are used in the same manner as blood pressure measurements for diagnosing and monitoring hypertension.
Peak flow meters measure peak expiratory flow (PEF), the fastest rate at which air moves through the airways during a forced expiration. PEF provides a simple, quantitative, reproducible measure of airway obstruction. Peak flow meters are cheap, lightweight and portable. Further, repeated measures are usually highly reproducible with each individual patient.
Nevertheless, the ability of individuals to identify what combinations of risk factors, e.g., location, allergen and irritant, increase the likelihood of an attack is very difficult, if not impossible. However, it would be extremely valuable for each individual with asthma to better identify these situations to better manage their disease and symptoms. In principle, it would be possible to give information about the air quality to each individual, but in practice this is impossible since all the needed measurement devices for all possible risk factors, and in all needed locations are not available.
It can also be seen that there is a need for a method and apparatus to collect risk factor information and location data associated with asthma patients and to provide information to these patients about the air quality.
It can also be seen that there is a need for a system that uses a mobile two-way communication tool to facilitate air quality analysis based on human reactions and clustering methods.